Protection Orders

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If you are attacked (physically assaulted) or otherwise in danger, or in the event of any emergency: CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY

Service of Protective Orders:

The Civil Office is responsible for the service of all protective orders, including petitions and temporary orders, within Jefferson County, WA. The Sheriff's Office provides this service free of charge.

If you have a protective order you want us to serve, we will need to receive copies of all the documents you want served, as well as a copy of the Law Enforcement Information Sheet, or, if no Law Enforcement Information Sheet is available, a completed copy of our Process Intake Form. These can be hand-delivered, mailed, or faxed, using the following information:

We are located on the third floor of the Jefferson County Courthouse, at 1820 Jefferson Street in Port Townsend.

We can also be reached by phone at 360-385-9390, or by fax at 360-385-9391, Monday through Friday (exclusive of holidays), between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm.

Once we receive a protective order for service, our deputies will make attempts, when they are available, to locate the respondent(s) and serve the order. Although protective orders take priority over other process to serve, we cannot guarantee successful service.

If we are able to locate the respondent and serve him or her, we will send you a copy of the Return of Service (legal proof that we served the respondent), and will file the original with the court that issued the order. You are welcome to call us at 360-385-9390

Obtaining a Protective Order:

Orders of protection and anti-harassment orders are issued by the courts. For further information on obtaining an order, please contact either the Jefferson County District Court or Jefferson County Superior Court offices located at the courthouse, or, if you are not a resident of Jefferson County, the appropriate courts in your home county.

There are three types of court orders that can protect you depending on whether other legal proceedings have already been filed. You can get:

An Order for Protection (whether or not a criminal charge or domestic relations case has been filed)

A No Contact Order (if a criminal charge has been filed against the abuser)

A Restraining Order (only if a domestic relations case, such as a divorce or child custody action has been filed)

When you are petitioning for a protective order, you will likely have to fill out a Law Enforcement Information Sheet, which contains confidential information available only to law enforcement. If none is provided, you will need to fill out one of our Process Intake Forms. In either case, please ensure this information is as accurate and detailed as possible, as it will be the information deputies rely upon when they attempt service.

Assistance in Obtaining a Protective Order

Civil Office personnel are not able to provide assistance in applying for or obtaining a protective order, or give you any advice (RCW 36.28.110). We can only help once the order exists. We strongly recommend you contact an attorney or victim advocate with any questions you may have about this process.

In addition, there are many resources available that may be able to provide assistance or information about obtaining protective orders. Some of those resources are listed below, although this list is by no means exhaustive:

The Dove House. The Dove House is a local organization that provides "confidential crisis intervention and advocacy services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and general crime."

The Victim/Witness Advocate in the Jefferson County Prosecutor's Office can be reached at 360-385-9386, and can provide assistance, including assistance with protective orders, for victims of crimes.

ProtectionOrder.org, a resource center provided by King County and referenced by the Washington State Attorney General's Office website. Although the advocacy functions may be limited to King County, there is overall information regarding the protection order process.

If you are aware of other local resources or agencies that may be helpful to people seeking protective orders, feel free to contact the Chief Civil Deputy at 360-385-9393 with this information, and we may be able to add their contact information to this page as an additional resource.